Get Some Valuable Face (book) Time for your Business.
Have you taken advantage of the social phenomenon that is Facebook to promote your business, drive sales and build brand loyalty?
Over the past year, Facebook has soared to the top as the #1 social networking site in the world, eclipsing MySpace with more than 100 million active users in the United States and 350 million global users. The company’s own stats say that the average user spends more than 55 minutes a day on facebook. How can your company grab a bit of that “face time?”
Businesses, from big conglomerates to your neighborhood bakery, are starting to harness the power of Facebook to grow their business. Developing your own Facebook page is relatively easy and there are a lot of sources online that will walk you through the steps, so we won’t do that here. Instead, we’ll focus on why and how Facebook is an effective marketing tool.
I’ve got a website, why would I want a Facebook page?
While most websites stay fairly static, a Facebook page enables you to build brand awareness and loyalty by providing consumers with a medium that allows you (and them) to interact in real time. Savvy consumers are looking for a richer, customized interactive experience with their favorite brands and businesses according to a recent survey by Forrester Research, Inc. They found that 42% of online adults and 55% on online youth want to engage with brands through social applications.
Consumers, vendors, suppliers, anyone who is interested in your business and hearing from you, can sign up to be a “fan” of your Facebook page. As a result, when you update your page with news, it’ll be posted on their wall with a link to your page. That type of interaction just doesn’t happen with a web page. (Facebook now offers two news feeds that users can select: a live feed that will show all wall posts and status updates or an algorithm-driven news feed with content that Facebook thinks you’ll like based on your previous interactions with content and friends.)
Multiply your internet presence.
Now that Facebook pages are indexed by Google and available publicly (unless you tell them not to via the privacy settings), businesses that use this medium will have an even greater presence on search engine results page rankings. To support this effort, you’ll want to make sure to liberally lace your content with search-driven keywords along with links to your web page or blog.
Meaningful content creates interest that will drive your fan base.
Getting people to sign up as “fans” of your page is key, so give them interesting and beneficial content that will make them want to hear from you and return to your page. As long as you keep your posts focused on the readers’ interests (and not your monetary gain), you’re on the right tract. Once you start making it a page to brag about your products or company’s accomplishments, interest will go south in a hurry.
So do use your page to share breaking news, product launches, sales, events and industry updates – anything that might be of value to the reader. And, make sure to reward your followers from time to time. Since they’ve already pledged their interest by signing up as a fan, repay them by sharing advance news of sales and discounts, product launches and insider tips. What better audience can you have for creating brand evangelists?
Keep consumers interested with fresh content:
- Product how-to’s and tips
- New product launches
- Industry updates
- Contests
- Announcements about events that you may be holding or attending
- Sales and special promotions
- Relevant articles and videos
- Survey and research data
Happy Facebook fans can help your business grow.
You know that saying, “They told two friends, who told two friends…?” Facebook is just like that. When people choose to become a “fan” of your company’s page, a notice will be posted on their friends’ pages informing them that “Joe Johnson just became a fan of Company XYZ” with a handy click-through option for them to become a fan, too. The average person has about 130 Facebook friends. Say on the first week, you get 40 fans, that means that up to 5,200 people could have seen your company name in one week.
Only 4% of Facebook pages have more than 1,000 fans according to socialmediaexaminer.com. But, don’t sweat that. This isn’t a contest to be the most popular girl at the party, but an effort to build a rewarding connection with consumers and hopefully they will in turn sing your praises from time to time. Unsolicited testimonials are worth their weight in gold.
Allow your fans to add content to your page.
As a page administrator, you have a choice of limiting wall postings to a chosen few or open it up and allow registered “fans” to leave comments, videos and links. Unless, you want to kill the interactive nature of this social medium, let your fans speak. Allowing them to connect with your brand in this way deepens the connection and helps build brand loyalty.
There is a benefit or drawback however, to this interaction, depending on how you view it. You don’t have control over what fans post – it could be positive, neutral or negative. On the plus side, it does allow you to keep an eye on consumer opinions and trends. If there is a negative reaction to an advertising campaign or new product, you’ll hear about it fast and can take swift action. You should respond to postings to show you care and are paying attention. It’s a relationship. You have to show how much you care, before they will return the feelings.
In an effort to revamp public perception of the quality of their pizza, Domino’s recently changed their sauce and crust and launched a national mutli-media campaign to support it. Their Facebook page has quickly become a red-hot forum for people to debate whether they like the new version or prefer the old. To date, it seems like the majority of folks are happy with the change. However, I imagine that Dominos will be watching this closely and hoping that the recipe change doesn’t go the way of “New Coke."
Bottom line: A lot of your customers and prospects are using social media. And, so is your competition. Get some of that valuable Facebook time for yourself by sharing your best stories and using it to drive people to your website and brick and mortar locations.
Beth Erlendson, fab! Director
This article was written for Trade Show Solution Center, a business partner of fab! Marketing Communications and a leading provider of comprehensive exhibit planning, design, production and marketing services. From strategic planning, message development and branding, to event management, corporate communications and lead generation, The Solution Center helps clients discover, develop and deliver programs that leverage new, profitable business opportunities. To learn more about Trade Show Solution Center and its portfolio of services, visit the company’s web site at www.tssolutioncenter.com.
